Woonkee Jo (Sam) 22SEP2017

Assignment 1

Question: How does wearing a hijab (which is a personal decision) relate to social facts?

1. In the Islamic tradition, it is considered more appropriate for girls above a certain age to
wear the hijab because it is thought of as a valuable religious symbol. Therefore, although
the decision to wear the veil depends on the individual, the religious tradition of the
family and the Muslim community has a great influence on the individuals choice.

2. There is still a widespread misconception among many European or Western countries

that the hijab is a sign of oppression towards women. Therefore, the issue of wearing a
veil might become more sensitive and controversial especially in institutions and
universities.

3. In very few Arab countries where the Islamic Law (Sharia) is practiced to the extreme,
women are forced to wear the hijab regardless of whether they are Muslim or not. In this
particular case, wearing the veil has become one of the ways of enforcing strict rules to
women only.